


The Care and Keeping of Bucky Barnes

by smilexdarling



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Headaches & Migraines, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 18:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4575696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smilexdarling/pseuds/smilexdarling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poor Bucky gets a migraine. Luckily, he has a Steve Rogers to make it all better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Care and Keeping of Bucky Barnes

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of this artwork by [pheebs](http://pheberoni.tumblr.com) on tumblr.

It was no secret that growing up, Steve was the one who was usually sick and in need of some TLC. However, what most people don’t know, is that while Bucky certainly didn’t have the chronic illness issues Steve had, he did suffer from severe headaches every now and again. They didn’t know what to call them at the time, but looking back, Steve figured out Bucky had probably been having migraines all along and it was Steve’s job to be there for him when they came around and knocked him out. It was the least he could do since Bucky always did such a good job of taking care of him and never complained.

Once they had finally found Bucky, returned to a somewhat normal life, as normal as it could be considering they lived in a tower full of their fellow superheroes, and fallen into a routine, Steve had forgotten all about Bucky’s headaches. 

* * *

Steve got out of the shower, threw on his most worn-in sweatpants and a soft t-shirt as he rubbed his hair with his towel, and plopped down on his and Bucky’s couch to watch TV. He knew Bucky was going to be out for a while longer with Natasha. They had gone to see the early morning showing of some action movie because they both loved to sit in the back of the theater and bash the actors’ combat techniques; so far they had only been kicked out of two movies, but he would probably have to talk to them about that at some point. 

He didn’t have any plans for the day, and their couch was insanely comfortable (thank you Pepper and her design team), so Steve let himself be lulled to sleep by the monotoned voice on the TV. 

In what felt like no time at all, Steve woke up to the sound of their front door opening and closing. Bucky was especially stealthy in the way he moved now, a habit he couldn’t shake from his Winter Soldier days, but even in his groggy state, Steve could tell Bucky was being more deliberately careful and quiet than usual. If he didn’t have super-hearing, he probably wouldn’t have heard him come in at all. Steve listened closer.

Bucky took off his jacket and his shoes but he sounded slow, sluggish, and he glanced at his phone to see what time it was. He hadn’t been asleep for very long and there was no way the movie would have already finished so he knew something was up. Steve yawned and stretched before getting up to wander into their kitchen where he found Bucky sitting, well slumped, at the table. 

He could tell instantly what was wrong. It hit him so strongly, that sense of deja-vu, because he had seen those exact pained eyes that were squinting against the light from the windows up at him and he recognized the tightness in the lines of Bucky’s face. He was hunched over and looked so puny that Steve would have cooed if he wasn’t so concerned. It took a lot nowadays to make Bucky actually show that he was in pain and while it most likely wasn’t obvious to any old outsider, it was obvious to Steve.

Steve whispered, “Hey, Buck. Got a headache?”

Bucky nodded and winced, “Think the movie set it off. Lots of flashing lights and the guy next to me was wearing an entire bottle of cologne. That mixed with Nat’s popcorn, I just—I had to cut out early.” 

Steve felt it all come back to him as he moved on autopilot. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and held his hand out to Bucky who only took a second to take the hint. Clearly, he remembered their routine, too. He took Steve’s hand and followed him quietly into their room. 

Steve asked JARVIS to darken their windows and he saw the furrow of Bucky’s brows lessen the second the room was cloaked in darkness. He made quick work of turning down their bed and he dug out the painkillers he kept in his nightstand, handing a couple to Bucky along with the water bottle. While Bucky took the pills, Steve undid Bucky’s buckle and help him step out of his jeans, leaving him just in his comfy henley shirt and boxer-briefs. Finally, Steve laid down under their covers and held them open in invitation for Bucky to join him. 

Bucky managed a small, wistful smile as he settled mostly on top of Steve, tucking his face into his neck, and breathed out a deep sigh. Steve could feel the tension melt out of Bucky’s body. He wrapped his arms securely around him and started gently massaging at the base of Bucky’s skull, he remembered how much Bucky always loved that, and he was rewarded with what could only be called a happy wiggle from Bucky and a muffled groan. A few minutes later, he felt Bucky’s breathing even out and he knew he had fallen asleep. 

Steve tucked the blankets in around them, asked JARVIS to block any calls or visitors, and fell asleep, too.

Their lives may be almost completely unrecognizable compared to when they were kids, but some things would always remain the same, and Steve would always take care of his Bucky.


End file.
